Sunrise Highway manhole cover replaced after morning snarl

A road hazard caused by a missing manhole cover on westbound Sunrise Highway in Massapequa has been temporarily repaired with a steel plate, police and officials said.

The state Department of Transportation reported the cover missing at 5:57 a.m. The hazard closed lanes and caused major morning rush-hour delays.

DOT spokeswoman Eileen Peters said crews bolted a 4-foot by 4-foot steel plate over the hazard and will replace the cover Friday.

It is unclear what happened to the manhole cover.

Traffic was back to normal by 11 a.m.